Carousel
by TheFriendliestPotato
Summary: Mama doesn't want her children to leave her again. But Edward is not this 'Rudy' kid. Mama doesn't seem to believe this. She wants her son to stay with her, and she'll spend as much time as it take convincing her son who he is.


Edward ducked, screaming as something grabbed his leg. Claws dug into leather and flesh alike, drawing blood that seeped through pierce skin. He was pulled onto his stomach, and he clawed desperately with his hands to try and escape.

" _tssk tssk tsssk."_ it whispered in his ear, its voice wet and hot _"Struggle all you want, my little darling. There's no way I'm letting you leave me again."_

Edward screamed, lurching upwards as his eyes snapped open. His heart palpitating, he panted heavily to regain his lost breathe. He shut his eyed, clutching his heart, and breathed. When he felt steady, solid, _there,_ he opened his eyes again.

And almost screamed again.

While he was on a bed, this certainly was no bedroom. Darkened walls made of wood and plastered together with something he'd rather not recognize loomed on all four sides. Yellow bones littered the floor, speckled with rotten flesh and dried blood. Ed's golden eyes made great haste in locating the door out. A splintered plank of wood hanging on only on hinge.

Ed all but sprang for it, hustling over to shove it open. When the door only creaked a little in protest, his gripped the rusty handle and tugged backwards. Still nothing. Grinding his teeth, Edward twisted the doorknob to find it unable to budge. He was locked in.

He smacked his palm to his face. "DUH." He muttered, clapping his hands. Slapping them to the wall, the wood broke and splintered apart, separating and rounding to a hole large enough to slip through. As he was going to step through, the corner of his eye caught on the lone figure of a small girl, holding a tray of what looked like maggots in a bowl (with maple syrup, which was nice of her), and holding one hand up to knock on the door.

"….Hello." the girl said after a moment. She withdrew he hand for the use of holding the tray.

"W-" Ed's voice caught in his throat. He spun to approach the child "What are you DOING here!?"

The girl tilted her head "What are YOU doing here?"

Ed opened his mouth to respond, but found he couldn't. He shut his mouth, pressing his lips into a frown.

"You don't know." The girl stated. "I don't know either."

Ed frowned "Okay, that's fair. But we have to get OUT of here, it's dangerous-"

"How do you know that?" The girl asked with a tilt of her head "You only just got here, and you don't remember anything of how you got here."

Ed shook his head "I get your point, but it's better safe than sorry, okay? We have to LEAVE."

The girl frowned "Mama gets mad when you try to leave."

Ed blinked, frowning " ''Mama'…?" As if speaking the title summoned her, she appeared. Large, clawed hands dragging her large plump body over the floorboards.

" _My, my, what's this talk about leaving?"_ She said in a husky whisper.

"Nothing, Mama." The girl said with a smile "I was just bringing Rudy some snacks."

" _What a kind girl who are, Chamy."_ The creature purred, ruffling the child's hair. It turn its large, glassy orange eyes to peer down at Edward. _"What do you say, Rudy?"_

Ed blinked, then his eyesnarrowed into a glare as he snarled "Listen, Lady! I'm not whoever this 'Rudy' person is-"

"Oh, Rudy!" The girl interrupted hastily, shoving him gently with a jerk of her elbow. Her eyes, which shared the same glossy gleam as her supposed Mama, darted quickly over to the creature, then back, and she smiled broadly "Your jokes aren't as good as you _might think."_ He voice rose in pitch near the end of her sentence and she bared her teeth in a tight grin.

Ed swallowed, eyes flicking to where the creature was gurgling roughly, its slippery dark sides pulsating as if it were going to puke. Scars in his leg began to burn. He grinned

"Er, yeah, s-sorry…" he almost choked on the title "Mama."

The creature relaxed, its body dropping and still. It smiled, a weird curve upward of a line on what Ed had assumed was its _neck_.

" _Now, now, Rudy dear."_ It chided _"Remember, jokes are fun until they_ _ **make me mad.**_ **"**

"Yes Mama!" the girl chirped, casting Ed a quick glance. Ed gulped

"Y-..yes, Mama." He repeated. The creature smile broader, revealing several long, sharpened spikes that look as if they were carved from bronze.

" _Now there's my good children. Now, go wash up for dinner. And don't have too many snacks!"_ She chirped, turning her gelatinous body by clawing up onto the ceiling and turning itself over. She hit the ground with a 'smack!' and began to drag itself away. They waited for her to get out of sight.

"Okay, Rudy" the girl said with a frown "You…you don't argue with Mama. EVER."

"My name isn't Rudy." Ed muttered. His eyes darted down the hall, as if expecting 'Mama' to come crawling back.

"I know. And my name isn't Chamy." The girl sad bluntly. She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout "…Do you remember your name?"

"Well, yeah." Ed muttered "It's-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Not-Chamy commanded. She blushed, looking down the hall sheepishly. When it was evident 'Mama' wasn't coming back, she gave a sigh of relief. "Listen, while you're here, you're RUDY. Okay? Don't….don't question Mama. Don't disagree with Mama. Don't ever _argue_ with Mama." She turned pale as she said this, her lip quivering. Ed swallowed, looking down on the girl with a resigned nod.

"So…what do I call you…?" He asked slowly. She shook her head.

"I don't remember my name. I've always just been 'Chamy' since I've been here." She frowned, her brown glassy eyes locking onto his own gaze "So just…Chamy."

Ed chewed on the inside of his cheek a moment, but then gave a curt nod. "Okay, Chamy. I….why…." he groaned, rubbing his fingers between his eyes. There were too many questions right now. Too many what the hells to ask. But….

He looked Chamy over.

She was small, shorter than him, even. Which meant she was _young._ It was even more evident in the roundness of her face and the largeness of her eyes. The way her voice squeaked when she spoke and the childish pout she'd give him. The rather kiddish way of pulling her straw-yellow hair up into pigtails. She was no older than eight, he was certain.

And she was stuck here?

"Chamy….do…." he looked down the hall again and dropped his voice so he was barely whispering "Do you want to leave with me?"

CHamy took a step back, startled "D-did you not hear me before?" she sputtered "Mama doesn't want us to leave! We don't disagree with Mama!"

"But is she _really_ your mother?" Ed spoke gently, getting onto one knee to be (slightly below) eye level to her. The pose lit fire on the skin and cuts on his leg. But he ignored them.

Chamy looked away "….I don't think so, no." she shook her head "But I- I don't remember my m-mother…"

Ed offered his hand, smiling softly "We'll find her once we get out of here, together."

Chamy stared at his hand. She then pouted, twisting her face away while puffing her cheeks out. Ed frowned, opening his mouth to object to that reaction when a spoonful of syrup-covered maggots was shoved in his mouth. He gagged, trying to spit it out-

"Don't do that." Chamy instructed, she stirred the maggots again and held up another bite "These are the best things we're going to eat here. So…" she fidgeted "We…need to eat. So we can get out of here. Nutrition and stuff."

Ed pouted, grimacing as he swallowed down the squirmy food. After wiping his tongue on his sleeve he looked back to Chamy "So you're going with me?"

Chamy nodded, curling in on herself "I….I want my mother. My real mother."

Ed smiled "So we're in this together."

She nodded "Yeah."

 **A fic slightly influenced by Resident Evil 7 and Five Nights at Freddy's, Sister Location. Hope you enjoy this first and possibly only chapter.**


End file.
